Methods and systems for provisioning energy systems

• US 8,417,061 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2009
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pineapple Energy LLC, Sungevity Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sungevity Inc.
• Inventors: Kennedy, Daniel Ian, Pryor, Adam, Birch, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa, Yosef
• Application Number:
  US12/364,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20090304227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 382/282, 382/291, 382/307, 703/1, 703/2
• US Class Current: 382/286
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2201/00 Prediction; Simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images

Abstract

The invention provides consumers, private enterprises, government agencies, contractors and third party vendors with tools and resources for gathering site specific information related to purchase and installation of energy systems. A system according to one embodiment of the invention remotely determines the measurements of a roof. An exemplary system comprises a computer including an input means, a display means and a working memory. An aerial image file database contains a plurality of aerial images of roofs of buildings in a selected region. A roof estimating software program receives location information of a building in the selected region and then presents the aerial image files showing roof sections of building located at the location information. Some embodiments of the system include a sizing tool for determining the size, geometry, and pitch of the roof sections of a building being displayed.

Claims

1. A computing system for generating a roof estimate report, the computing system comprising:

a memory;

a roof estimation module that is stored on the memory and that is configured, when executed, to;

receive a first and a second aerial image of a building having a roof, each of the aerial images providing a different view of the roof of the building;

correlate the first aerial image with the second aerial image;

generate, based at least in part on the correlation between the first and second aerial images, a three-dimensional model of the roof that includes a plurality of planar roof sections that each have a corresponding slope, area, and edges; and

generate and transmit a roof estimate report that includes one or more top plan views of the three-dimensional model annotated with numerical values that indicate the corresponding slope, area, and length of edges of at least some of the plurality of planar roof sections.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the roof estimation module is further configured to correlate the first and second aerial images by receiving an indication of one or more corresponding points on the building shown in each of the first and second aerial images.

3. A system for remotely determining measurements of a roof, comprising:

a computer including an input means, a display means and a non-transitory memory; and

a roof estimation software program stored in the non-transitory memory and operable to cause a processor of the computer to;

receive location information of a building in a selected region;

receive image files representing a plurality of distinct roof sections of a roof of said building;

determine, measurements of the roof including size, dimensions, and pitch of the plurality of distinct roof sections of the roof of said building based solely on the received image files; and

outputting a report having the determined measurements therein.

4. A method for remotely determining measurements of a roof comprising:

receiving image files of at least a portion of a roof;

determining, by a computer system, roof pitch measurements by constructing a three-dimensional geometry of the roof based solely on the received image files;

determining roof pitch measurements based on the three dimensional geometry;

and providing a roof report based on the roof pitch measurements.